Stay With Me
by Kyarorain
Summary: Despite Alex's actions, Jenna still trusted him. She cared enough to save his life. AlexJenna


**Stay with Me**

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I was in the mood for writing romance. So, ah, here we go. AlexJenna! One of my favourite pairings.

I do not own Golden Sun.

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Alex was falling, tumbling over earth, the sharp rocks digging into his flesh. He had been thrown clear off Mt. Aleph, paralysed and helpless, as the mountain sank. His body impacted with hard ground and he let out a gasp of pain, clenching his teeth. His vision was blurring, fresh agony shot through his body every time the ground shook, his mouth was dry. All he wanted was a drink of water and for the pain to stop. How ironic that he was a Water Adept and could have solved the thirst problem in mere seconds... yet he couldn't move.

The edge of his tunnel of vision was growing dark. Alex drew in a deep, shuddering breath and closed his eyes. He felt regret, sympathy for himself, and remorse. Why had he tried this in the first place? He'd thought he would be successful, but no, he had lost in the end and now he was going to lose his life... a teardrop fell down his cheek, creating a white trail through the dirt and grime.

Before the darkness claimed him, he thought of her... a special girl... and the regret only increased. Then he no longer felt anything as he blacked out.

* * *

The sensation of a soft, wet cloth wiping over his face was what roused him from sleep. Alex remained perfectly still with his eyes closed as he tried to comprehend what was happening. He felt quite comfortable, lying on top of something soft like a mattress. The pain that had been ravaging his body was not but a dull throb that reminded him of what he had gone through.

"Are you awake?" A gentle voice asked him.

Alex's eyes flew open in shock and he turned his head to look up at the one who had spoken to him.

"Thank goodness." Jenna looked down at him, smiling in relief, as she held up a wet cloth. "You're awake."

"Jenna...?" Alex croaked out, a dry cough following. His throat felt like sandpaper. Alex winced and struggled into a sitting position.

"Take it easy," Jenna cautioned, looking worried. "You were seriously hurt."

Alex cupped his hands in front of him and called up his Psynergy. A pool of water appeared within his hands and he quickly brought his hands up to his mouth, thirstily gulping down the water. Once satiated, he lay back down with a heavy sigh. "I really thought that I was done for."

"Yeah," Jenna said. "When I saw you... I really did think you were dead."

"Do you know..." Alex hesitated. "Do you know why I was by Mt. Aleph?"

"I do," Jenna said quietly, clasping her hands and placing them in her lap. "The Wise One told us on Mars Lighthouse. That you were going to take Alchemy when it shined down on Mt. Aleph."

"Then why?" Alex asked in an agonised voice. "Why did you save me? Why did you not just leave me to die?"

"We couldn't just do that!" Jenna cried out, startling Alex. "Some people... like Garet, even Mia, they thought it would be better to just leave you there after you tried such a thing. But I didn't want you to die. In the end, I managed to persuade Piers to bring you back from the brink. I've spent the past two days caring for you, making sure you wouldn't die all of a sudden... I really didn't want you to die, Alex."

"Even Mia?" Alex repeated, a stab of pain shooting through his chest. He could scarcely believe it for a moment, that he had actually gone so far as to make his childhood friend hate him. How could he have pushed Mia so far that Mia would even wish for him to die? "I suppose everyone hates me for what I did."

"I don't think you're a bad person, Alex," Jenna said firmly. "I can see that you're a good person deep down. That's why I helped save you. You've got your whole life ahead of you and even if you have all of Alchemy, I know you won't use it for evil. You're not bad."

"Heh, and I thought I was so good at keeping myself mysterious." Alex smiled wryly. "It's crazy to trust someone who tried to take the ultimate power."

"Then I'll be crazy!" Jenna exclaimed, slamming her hands on the floor. Her eyes sparkled... Alex's eyes widened. Was she actually about to cry? "I trust you, Alex. I... I wanted to be your friend... when we travelled together, I wanted to get closer but you were always so closed up, it was hard. Then when you left us, it hurt. When I said those mean things in Champa... you remember the things I said?"

"I do remember everyone saying things," Alex said. "But I probably deserved it."

"I didn't mean any of it," Jenna said. "I was hurt and confused when you left us. I tried so hard to understand why you did it. Were you running away from us? Did you even hate us? It hurt so much! Why did you leave?"

"I'm sorry." Alex looked away. There was no good answer for it. Indeed, he couldn't think of one. It was true he had tried to find a boat, but that hadn't required him abandoning them on Idejima. He had simply deserted them without a second thought. "I'm sorry for all that I did."

"You're sorry for everything?" Jenna said.

"When I was falling down that mountain..." Alex paused, recalling the painful memories of what he thought were his last seconds of life. "I felt pain, regret, sadness. I realised that I had thrown my life away for no good reason. I should have found something to do with my life, done something good, but instead I wasted it on being greedy, selfish and trying to claim ultimate power."

"You've got a second chance now," Jenna said, a faint smile gracing her face. "You can do anything with it."

"I was foolish," Alex said. "I shouldn't have tried to get Alchemy. I hurt people who cared about me, I even made one of my closest friends hate me, and for what? To play with nature? I pushed people away, hid my intentions, and all I did was nearly lose my life."

"I don't judge you at all," Jenna said. "You know what you did was wrong and reckless, that's good enough. Now... I... I want to be closer to you, Alex. I want to know who you really are."

"Jenna..." Alex sat up again, looking painfully at her. "I can't stay here... not with people around who hate my guts. I should just leave and go back to being all alone. That's what I am, a loner, hated by all."

"You can't leave!" Jenna cried. Alex stared at her in silent shock. "I don't want you to leave, Alex!" A tear dripped down her cheek. "I don't care if people hate you. You've just got to tell them you've changed... they will get used to it. You can stay with us, Alex. I want you to. I didn't save your life just for you to disappear again. Please..."

"Why do you want me to stay so badly, Jenna?" Alex asked, feeling a strange stirring sensation in his chest. The thought that Jenna cared so much for him... it made him feel better... his last thought before he'd blacked out beneath Mt. Aleph returned to him. The vision of Jenna standing in front of him, smiling... he'd thought of her in his last moments.

"I... like you," Jenna said bitterly, choking back a sob. "Alex..."

"Then perhaps for you..." Alex reached out, cupping her face with a gloved hand. Jenna gazed at him, trembling with emotion. "I'll stay." He leaned forwards, ignoring the aching in his back, and kissed her on the lips. Was this the right thing to do? He knew that it felt right. Jenna... was she feeling the same? Was it love that made her want him to stay so badly? Alex broke off the kiss and leaned back, looking into Jenna's wide, tearful eyes.

"Alex..." Jenna smiled and flung her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. Alex wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. "I really don't want you to leave again. Stay with me."

"I'll stay with you forever," Alex vowed. Now he had something to do with his second chance at life. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time... complete happiness and satisfaction. It was a much greater feeling than what he had experienced on Mt. Aleph, in that moment he thought his goal had succeeded. He knew what he really wanted now. His beloved by his side.


End file.
